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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:23:13 GMT -5
Battledog
Battledog watched as Scarlet took command as she was supposed to. She gave pure and concise orders to everyone.
“We need your … enthusiasm. Will you lead a group in a go-for-broke rescue mission? Not only for Jayson, but for anyone Lily alludes to.”
He nodded his head in affirmation and turned to his guests behind him.
"I'm sorry you had to be apart of that. It won't happen again, we are now back on task." he apologised to them.
His sister just grinned "I wouldn't have missed that for the world. That was beautiful. And for the record, you would hurt them badly, but not as badly as they would have hurt you."
The Little Professor nodded and shook out her hands.
"Prof, what do you need to make this work?" Dave asked.
"I need a computer and a large diplay unit that..that no one will miss. I will have to reconfigure it. Plus, some disposable electronics that I can use to make a link for Samantha." the young mutant answered.
Dave turned, looking for help with the list. He noticed Tania rolling towards the door. He swallowed.
"Bee!" he shouted, "Bee! I need your help."
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:24:19 GMT -5
Iron Goliath
Here is how a heart gets torn in half in about 30 seconds. First, you experience a thrilling moment. That came for Loni as Marsius and Kathryn basically called a truce with Dave, throwing their confrontation out the window and making the Dawn Patrol a team again. The group was focused on getting back safely Dave's brother, Jayson Kinmount, and all the others who had recently been kidnapped, and Sheena's announcement that a major player in the whole incident was incarcerated in a holding cell had galvanized Kathryn, who was off to perform an interrogation with Lily helping her. Dave was preparing to put together an assault team whose job it would be to perform the actual rescue. It was so exciting, to have everyone all working together with complete unity again, that Loni even forgot about the odd incidents with her Goliath mech.
Then, thirty seconds later, your elation comes crashing down when you realize that not everything is peaches and cream. That happened when Loni spotted Tania wipe a tear from her face and say ""I... I guess I'll monitor you guys from DOGMA. Keep your comlinks open, and I'll try and pass on any info I can find on any discoveries you make," Tania said softly and turned her wheelchair towards the door. She gave Alex's hand a brief squeeze and quickly kissed his cheek for support (the poor boy was apparently so overcome by briefly being the focal point of frustration for Scarlet Scorpion, Crimsonstar, and Lady Britania that he was still a little dumbfounded) and then ran over to Tania, and wrapped her arms around the woman's neck and shoulders from behind.
"I am so... so sorry that I didn't get to you first, Tania. It's all my fault! Maybe if I had gotten you out from under that rubble faster, your legs would be fine." Hot tears splashed onto Tania's back as the young girl held her, sobbing. Lady Britania had been such an inspiration to her, always being in the forefront of the action, that it just broke her heart to hear the resignation in the crippled hero's voice. Even though the thought of being the object of anyone's pity was completely objectionable to her, Tania patted the crying girl's arm, masking the emotional thuderstorm seething within her.
Then, Dave's voice shouted from behind them. "Bee! Bee! I need your help."
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:24:56 GMT -5
PAX Lawbringer
Meanwhile... Elsewhere...
Lawbringer bent over the unconscious bodies of his tormentors ensuring the phonelines he had tied them up with was secure. Deftly he lifted both of their security id cards glancing at each, mentally replacing the designations he had personally called them with their actual names. Seargent Sadist was Francis Bings and Corporeal Complacent was Thomas Haskins. He had briefly flirted with calling them Evil Guard and Dumb Guard as neither were ‘good’ but considering his escape both of them were ‘bad’ guards. He straightened up and spun up his virtual particle generator. A Vanguard uniform formed around his body. Lawbringer winced as the shape and size of the uniform’s helmet squeezed his own distinctive helmet into its more blunt and compact space. Sadly he could not replicate the Vanguard’s visor due to his now protruding red multifaceted eyes and antennae. Lawbringer hoped the disguise would be enough. He could always activate his active camouflage if it was not. The ability to optically mimic his surroundings wasn’t true invisibility but it was close.
Lawbringer cautiously approached the door to the now ruined lab that had been his interrogation chamber. When no immediate alarm had sounded after he subdued his guards he judged that he had time to secure and reposition them so that they were out of any further harm’s way. Lawbringer looked at the thick metal clad door and felt sure that any noises from his escape had been blocked. The door was unpowered and secured with a simple rotating catch with a large toggle handle. Lawbringer opened the door and stepped out into the corridor beyond.
The corridor was in chaos. Obviously his EMP blast had been carried along the power grid further than expected. Although not blown out as in the lab behind him, the main lighting was mostly off and emergency lights flickered randomly. Milling around in various states of upset and panic were scientists and lab technicians indetifiable by their garments, others in plain civillian dress and even several uniformed guards. Some of them appeared to be seeking instructions via their communicators. Lawbringer knew he had to avoid those if at all possible.
Suddenly a panicked man in a white labcoat splashed with some dark unidentifiable organic substance grabbed Lawbringer by the front of his armored uniform.
“WHATS GOING ON?!?” He damanded. Lawbringer stepped back pulling the mans hands off his chest. The scientist kept looking around his eyes wide.
“An electrical discharged caused a temporary overload to the main power. There is no danger but perhaps you should move to a designated safe area.” He tried to make his message simple and succinct but Lawbringer suspected that the man only heard one word in three for he took off down the corridor screaming at the top of his lungs.
“QUICK! QUICK! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE! GRAB YOUR NOTES! WE HAVE TO EVCUATE! STAY HEREANDDIE! AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” As the man moved down the hallway he sowed even more panic in his wake. Lawbringer looked after him for a moment then as discreetly as possible went in the other direction. He knew he had to get out of this section of the base as soon as possible and find a working panel of some kind. A computer workstation, a communications panel anything. Glancing around as he moved through the chaos he had seen several but they were either unpowered or occupied or both.
There!
Lawbringer slipped into the unoccupied alcove where the com panel lights glowed indicating it was operational. He quickly keyed in the code Dark Watcher had given him. Lawbringer grew excited as the code unlocked all of the panel’s functions. He tried to tie into an outside line so he could contact Scarlet or Marsius or any Patroller or Dark Watcher or somebody… anybody. He pounded the panel in frustration then remembered it was the use of the code itself that would send out an alert directly to his secret partner. It appeared the panel was only for internal communications only. He had access to all the channels even the secure ones. He flipped through several and it was apparent he HAD caused a major disruption on the base. Confusion reigned across many of the conversations he tapped into. He stopped and listened a moment then moved on to another one.
A man, obviously miffed- “…then my computer died. I hadn’t even saved, lost half a day’s work. Those idiots in security could at least warn us when they are gonna pull a fire drill.”
A man’s matter of fact reporting voice- “…the portal is stable so no worries there but the engineers say we lost two generators to some kind of overload…”
A rueful sounding woman- “…tripped on a chair in my quarters when the lights went out. Good thing I was near the med bay…”
An angry man screaming into the pickup with angry shouts in the background- “I don’t care what your alarm panel shows I keep telling you there IS NO fire in the commissary! We need you to turn OFF THE DAMN SPRINKLERS!”
A laconic sounding America southern drawl- “.. power is off down here at the cryo-storage units… just thought you should know…yeah. Hey, how long do you think its gonna take to fix cause… you know…we got some things that we really really don’t want thawing out…”
A crisp and calm woman- “…reports half the sensors and alarms down in the science section on level 8 aren’t even working and com channels there are hit or miss, mostly miss sir-“ A nasal male voice broke in at this point.
“I’ve already got several reports in but they range from angry responses to some drill WE pulled to outright panic about exploding labs and alien contamination of some kind. I’ve teams heading down there now-“ Lawbringer’s eyes glittered as a loud brassy male British accent interrupted.
“Major this is unacceptable. Have you locked down that section yet?” There was a beat of slience. “Major?”
“Sir, we don’t even know IF we have a problem-“
“Major, you are head of security, if you don’t whether there is a problem then YOU have a problem. Initiate full lockdown on the entire level NOT just the labs. Containment first. Once we have the place under control we can investigate.” Meekly the nasal voice answered.
“Yes, Sir.” The British voice continued.
“Captain Wilson, keep trying to clear the com channels, give priority to the public address system, then security coms. We need to tell our people down there to not panic.” The crisp female answered.
“Yes sir, but the techs are reporting that the power surge burned out entire wire runs. No way to repair that from here but I’ll get everything working I can.”
“That’s what I want to here Captain, off you go.” The nasal voice broke in.
“Wait a sec Nancy, do the techs say where the burned out runs are? If we can localize the damage it will tell us which lab it started in. We can start there.”
“Let me check with ‘em Leo,” The woman clicked off. The nasal Major continued.
“General, I’ve intiated lockdown of the level and mobilized all standby troops aaand, theres the general security alert going off.” Lawbringer could hear a hooting in the background of both parties. “Unfortunately I’m not sure how locked off the level is. Only about half the readouts are registering a positive response. Do you want a full base lock down?” Obviously the General was the base CO.
“Major Styles, I don’t care if Vanguard has declared this the most secure base on or off the planet that is no excuse for the.. the.. the slack you’ve shown so far. If your lackluster response does in fact result in a breach of security I will see to it that you spend the rest of your career scubbing pots, asuming you don’t wind up a ‘guest’ of planetary security. Am I clear Major?”
“YES SIR!” A quiet cough was heard on the line followed by the crisp voice of the Captain.
“General Clairemont, Major Styles. I have that intel now. The techs say the pattern isn’t exact but all the damage runs through or near labs 14 Beta, 13 Delta, and Lab 17 Alpha. Blueprints show all are hard science labs, mostly high energy research and lab records show Dr.s Voltmann, Bordan, and Daniels are assigned respectively.”
“Wait did you say Bordan?” The Major’s voice was tinged with panic. There was a sound of rustling papers on the line.
“Major?” the General inquired.
“Here sir! Bordan’s name rang a bell and - oh, shi- Sir we need to go to full lock down now! Dr. Bordan was scheduled to…to work with a…a prisoner today.”
“WHAT?”
“He was testing some kind of containment system… on the prisoner General.”
“Bloody hell Major and it just slipped your mind ? Send me that prisoner file, NOW Major. Captain sound general quarters if you please.”
“Yes Sir” Her voice was beginning to sound strained. The nasal Major broke in.
“Nancy, uh Captain we also need to sound the radiation exposure alarms and begin anti-rad protocols-“
“What the hell was this Bordan working with Major, a radioactive Rikti?” The General sounded, if possible, even more upset.
“Ah, no sir. If you’ll check the prisoner file it was a different alien species. A Post-human Arthropoid Xenoform. It was declared hostile and-“
“My God Major! This is a member of the Dawn Patrol! What the hell is going on here?” Lawbringer noted that it appeared that Dark Watcher was correct. Not all Vanguard personnel even here on this base were actively hostile to the Patrol.
“Sir,” The hapless Major at least had the good graces to sound embarressed.”Its been declared a hostile enemy combatant. They shipped it over already in cryo-stasis last week from the Peregrine depot, Sir. The transport orders, the storage orders, all the orders, even the order for the experimentation were filed correctly and signed by the old lady herself Sir. I thought you knew.” The General’s voice was frosty.
“I did NOT know. And yes Major I know I’m supposed to receive copies of all prisoner transport and storage orders. I don’t know what precisely is going on here but I am going to get to the bottom of it. Now, either we have an escaped prisoner or an angry mis-classified ally. Either way we have a MAJOR problem. You are going to find this PAX person and contain him- humanely Major am I clear?”
“Yes SIR!”
“Very well then lock down the base Major. Captain send an alert to HQ, we may need more troops here and get me a line to Lady Grey immediately!” Lawbringer clicked off the panel. He had to make good his escape before he was locked in. Although the base CO didn’t appear to part of the conspiracy that was in conflict with the Patrol there was no way to know how many of the base’s other personnel were compromised, in the distance an alarm hooted and red warning lights sprang to life all along the hall way. Lawbringer looked up to see the international 'radiation' symbol emblazoned in them. His eyes followed them along passing the also red glowing 'exit' sign.
Wait- Lawbringer could not believe his luck. Beneath the sign a metal door proclaimed "Emergency Exit Only - Alarm Will Sound If Opened". Lawbringer could literally have cared less. He pressed on the bar, but even then no alarm sounded. Again by luck this was one the non-working alarms. He was free! He opened the door and stepped outside closing the door behind him. It clicked securely but Lawbringer wasn't paying any attention. The metal walkway circled the building's perimeter with a low railing but it was the view beyond the railing that froze Lawbringer as he looked out and down into an endless sky of red and orange clouds. Lawbringer wasn't on Dirt anymore. He was in the Shadow Shard!
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:25:28 GMT -5
Scarlet Scorpion
The echo of three pairs of footsteps dominated the air of the hallway. The sharp clicks mingled with the hum of activity in surrounding rooms and work bays. The Scarlet Scorpion’s heavy booted heels lead the way followed by Drive Train and Lily Blue to either side of her. They had entered the brig area of the Dawn Patrol base and were closing in on one door in particular. Two guards stood to the sides of the blast door that sealed Vanguard agent Epps within and they saluted crisply.
Scarlet returned the salute with a nod due to her right arm still being in a sling, then stopped short at the door and turned to her companions.
“Sheena, you’ll enter with me. I’m going to be the talker and I need you to play enforcer. Make effort not to make contact with the prisoner-“
“Ya mean goldie locks?”
“-prisoner. This person will not have a name uttered from my mouth.” Her lips snarled as if disgusted speaking about Epps. Sheena grinned and nodded. Scarlet turned to Lily Blue.
“Lilly, please go to the observation room and conduct any evaluation you need to extract any information about this situation. Regardless of what she says I need deeper-seated knowledge. I know that is not to par, but I’m in the dark and I’m tired of bumping into walls. So whatever invasion you think is appropriate is authorized by me.”
The empath looked toward her feet without a word and then walked away toward the access door to the observation room. Scarlet accepted that as an answer and turned on her heels. She looked to each of the guards then handed one of them her I.D. card, which was swiped through a card reader. A pleasant tone sounded, followed by a readout in DOGMA's mechanical voice: "Identification Scarlet Scorpion, rank Field Commander, Dawn Patrol authorization Alpha-Eight-Eight. Clearance level Arthur Zero-Five.”
The blast doors opened with a hiss and both guards saluted again as Scarlet and Drive Train entered. Inside the brightly lit white-colored room rested a simple 4x4 metal table and two metal chairs bolted to the floor. A large one-way window faced the occupant. Sitting in one chair was Pauline Epps, wearing yellow overalls with bare hands and feet. Her graying blonde hair was disheveled and straight, touching her shoulders. Her hands were shackled to the table while her lower legs were clamped to the chair. She was hunched forward and did not look comfortable. When the two Patrollers entered the room, she turned to look at them then smiled, her perfect yet plain face shadowed by her hair.
Scarlet sat in the only other chair with Drive Train standing to the side of the table, converter arms crossed. Sheena glowered at Epps. Scarlet gave Lily a few more moments to be in position and guessed the time was right to start. She leaned slightly to either side inspecting Epps face and frowned.
“You have no name in this place and I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done. Tell me why Vanguard is attacking the Dawn Patrol.”
Epps replied through clenched teeth, “The Dawn Patrol have aided and abetted in the murder of Hero-1, have hidden evidence and colluded with the invading alien Rikti to that end. You all belong to Vanguard for us to persecute as we see fit. You’ll have no rights, no voice, and no recourse. All that remains to be decided is how the Dawn Patrol will perish.”
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:25:52 GMT -5
Drive Train
"All that remains to be decided is how the Dawn Patrol will perish."
Sheena reacted with pure, unrestrained emotion. Unfolding her crossed bionic arms, she brought her right hand down sharply on the table separating Scarlet and the prisoner, causing a loud, metallic CLANG to ring through the small interrogation chamber. "Look, goldilocks, I don't care what kinda power trip you think yer on. You stuck me in a freakin' tube an' tried ta copy me! How the hell is that right? I thought Vanguard was supposed ta be tha freakin' GOOD guys!"
Epps, having whipped her head around to look at the loud noise just made, donned a purposefully neutral expression and lowered her head. "I have nothing more to say to the likes of you."
Her eyes narrowing dangerously behind her visor, red sparks beginning to jump between the components of her arm and connecting with the metal table, Sheena again spoke. "That still don't explain why ya tried copyin' me, snatched Battle Dog's bro an' prolly bugman too, an' bombed the base! Spill!"
The prisoner's only monotone response was, "Epps, Pauline. Commander. Serial number 854-89-326."
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:26:15 GMT -5
Lily Blue
The prisoner's only monotone response was, "Epps, Pauline. Commander. Serial number 854-89-326."
Lily sighed. She had thought that it would probably come to this but had hoped it wouldn't be necessary. They needed answers and they needed them yesterday. And even though she had a strict code against stealing one's thoughts she deemed it necessary in this case.
She closed her eyes and cleared her mind and slowly started to project her consciousnous away from her body. She felt weightless as her mind seperated from her body. She looked back and saw her physical self sitting still in a meditative stated. Her body bathed in the pale blue light that her astral self gave off. Turning around she floated through the wall into the holding room. To the left she saw Sheena. Her body giving off flashes of red lightning and to the right she saw Kathryn, her body juxtaposed with a large red scorpion. She felt the frustration and anger emanating from the both of them but something was wrong. Epps sat there between Drive Train and Scarlet Scorpion but she looked all dull and gray her body blending into the space and furniture of the interrogation unit furthermore Lily couldn't sense anything at all from their prisoner.
Moments later Lily back in her body entered the interogation room. The room went silent as the three occupants looked over to her as she walked up to Epps and placed her hand atop their prisoners head and after concentrating for a moment she removed her hand and stepped back and faced Kathryn.
"Commander, Pauline Epps isn't human. In fact she is not a living being. "
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:27:02 GMT -5
Battledog
Battledog watched as Tania and Loni moved from the room. He sighed. He understood that Tania was still getting used to the fact that she wouldn't be able to participate in the upcoming assault, but he needed help right now. He looked back at his guests. "Come on. We'll have to find what we need ourselves. I think there is a tech lab over by the hangers we can use. Alex, you can come with us. I think you might want to see this." Dave led the two women and stunned man through the base, skirting repair crews along the way. They climbed up a stairwell to an upper bay, overlooking the hangers. "Will this stuff do, Prof?" he asked. The young woman glanced around at the equipment. "Yes, this will suffice." she answered as she mentally willed her ability to life. She grabbed a box of replacement avionics modules from the floor and placed it on the nearby work station. "Samantha, please bring that chair over here and take a seat." she ordered, " You two, please stay by the door and out of the way." Both Dave and Alex nodded. Dave leaned against the wall awaiting the final result. Alex stood in awe as he watched the equipment move on its own, changing to specifications from Prof's mind. The large monitor on the wall flickered to life and displayed a detailed satellite image of Paragon City. The avionics modules broke into their component parts and rearranged themselves into a hi-tech helmet with data-cables inserting themselves into the rapidly changing workstation. Dave placed a hand onto Alex's shoulder and pulled him back to the wall. "Pretty awesome, isn't it Alex?" Dave said, " If I had of thought of it earlier, I would of had her find the info we needed. They wouldn't have even known she was in the mainframe." Alex just nodded in agreement. Samantha reached out and placed the helmet on her head. It adjusted itself to fit better and sync-ed itself to her brainwave patterns. "Ready, Samantha?" the Little Professor asked. Sam gave a sneering smile " Let's do it." " It may hurt abit. I'm still trying to work out all the problems." The helmet lit up as Sam focused, her eyes aglow with power. She grit her teeth as pain started to form. " Its working." Prof remarked, her hands flying over the reconfigured workbench. The monitor showed a rapidly searching blip systematically flowing over the image. Samantha screamed, " This really f'ing hurts!" Blood started to flow from her nose, as Dave looked on worried. He started to move towards her. "No! Stay away!" she yelled at her brother, "I got him!" The blip on the image stopped moving. The Little Professor looked at the screen and locked the coordinates. "Terra Volta...Jayson is in a warehouse SW of the main reactor."
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:27:40 GMT -5
Scarlet Scorpion
n fact she is not a living being.”
Scarlet was unfazed as she looked from Lily Blue to Epps. The prisoner only smirked devilishly and replied, “Epps, Pauline. Commander. Serial number 854-89-326.”
The Field Commander placed the unslung hand on the table, rose to her feet, and started to walk around the table while sliding a pointed finger along the edge.
“Epps, Pauline. Commander. Serial number 854-89-326.” Eeps gaze followed Scarlet until she stood next to the shackled woman.
“Epps, Pauline. Commander. Serial number 854-89-326.”
Sliding a finger onto one of Epps’ hands, Scarlet stroked the skin around a knuckle. Epps looked confused until Scarlet retracted her hand, palm open wide. Without flinching, Scarlet released a sonic bolt through Epps’ hand. Skin ripped open like an orange peel and exposed electronics sizzled and sparked. The hand then exploded, showering the table with debris.
Pauline’s scream was cut short by Scarlet’s fist, itself wrapped in an aural gauntlet colored white and swirling with deep red hues. Fueled by the explosion’s audio waves and powered by her mutant ability, Scarlet’s arm bored through Epps’ mechanical skull spraying metal and fluid to the wall. Scarlet, screaming in frustration pulled her arm back, ripping the head off the shoulders, sparks and viscous liquid erupting from the torso, itself convulsing erratically before slumping forward. She threw the remains of the automaton’s head to the floor. It bounced as it structural integrity failed, the remaining contents spilling out, leaving behind a grisly scene of plastic teeth, burned skin, electronics and wires.
Scarlet shook her arm free of remaining wreckage and looked to the Patrollers in the room. Both Lily Blue and Drive Train were shocked at the sudden violence displayed by the Scarlet Scorpion. Drive Train recovered first and yelled, “What the HELL is going on?!” Lily Blue wrapped herself in her arms.
“I can’t believe this.” She looked down at the shattered skull and whispered, “we need to stop being on the defensive.”
Scarlet looked up, “If Epps was a Nemesis toy, then at her rank, she may have influenced Vanguard at various levels to believe the Dawn Patrol have gone rogue at worst. At best, she was leading a faction within Vanguard against us. Knowing Lady Grey, she knows about it either way. It’s hard to believe, but she may not know Nemesis is involved. Regardless, we are being made to look like the enemy.”
“Drive Train, its open season on Nemesis and I don’t want any prisoners. You will lead a strike team against any available targets in Paragon. Wherever you find them, make it look like war is upon them and keep your colors on. That means no killing with minimal collateral damage. You are being indiscriminate so cause a lot of pain. Retreat from Vanguard if they come calling, we can’t give them any more reasons to fight with us.”
“Lily, you and Battledog are going on the rescue mission. Find him and get started. I’m guessing the faster we go on the offense, the harder it will be to find our families.”
Drive Train snapped a finger and pointed at Scarlet. “Yeah, and what about you?”
“Now I need to talk to Lady Grey.“
“Do you think she will be receptive?” Lily Blue asked over her shoulder as she was walking toward the door.
“Someone needs to open her eyes wide. She's being used.”
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:28:10 GMT -5
Drive Train
Sheena liked to think she was used to violence. The last few years of her life had been one long, bitter fight - first with the Loyalists, then with Arachnos, and now with any villains that threatened the innocent citizens of Paragon City. But when Scarlet literally ripped Epps' head off her shoulders, even Sheena was taken aback. The display of rage and frustration from their leader was somehow comforting to Sheena, though. Now she knew for certain that she wasn't the only one that felt that way. Walking out of the interrogation room with Lily, she turned to the smaller, bald psychic. "So, Lil, you wanna gimme a hand curbstompin' some Nemmy goons?"
Lily, her arms still wrapped around her torso like a protective cocoon, softly replied. "I'm sorry, I can't. I have to help Dave get his brother back."
"Hey, no sweat, Lil! Go save yer man's bro. I'm sure there's a bunch o' peeps here wanna get in on the action anyway!" Sheena grinned ferally. "After all, we can't let you guys have all the fun!"
A few moments later, Sheena entered the same briefing room she had recently come from. She tapped her comm badge and sent out an announcement. "To all available Patrollers: Gooooood afternoon, chompies and chompettes! Looks like we got some answers comin', but we're gonna have to lay the smack down on some goon squads first. So, anyone who wants ta get a workout stompin' a mudhole in some bad guys, head on down to the briefin' room. I'll see ya there! Oh yeah, an' bring yer Patroller togs. Yer gonna need 'em."
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:28:48 GMT -5
Battledog
Battledog's comm came to life as hem th etwo young ladies and Alex were heading back to the briefing room.
"To all available Patrollers: Gooooood afternoon, chompies and chompettes! Looks like we got some answers comin', but we're gonna have to lay the smack down on some goon squads first. So, anyone who wants ta get a workout stompin' a mudhole in some bad guys, head on down to the briefin' room. I'll see ya there! Oh yeah, an' bring yer Patroller togs. Yer gonna need 'em."
Alex looked at Dave as his comm broadcast the same thing. "I guess it will be like a game of pick-up hockey...we get to choose teams." Dave remarked. Alex blinked and followed him into the room. Dave looked at Sheena as came to a stop beside her. Lily and Terra moved to join his team. "I would make one suggestion, Sparkie. You take the overt types and I take the covert ones. I can't have anybody recognize us right off the bat...that means you get Crim. He sticks out like a sore thumb." Dave said with a laugh.
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:29:19 GMT -5
Drive Train
Sheena grinned at Dave and the others as they entered the briefing room. "Yeah, I get how ta plan an op, Davey boy."
She walked over to one of the large, comfortable-looking chairs surrounding the briefing area and sat heavily in it, clasping her hands behind her head and stretching her legs out straight. She continued, "'Sides, my group ain't exactly gonna be a single team. We're just gonna be goin' out an' layin' the hurt on the punks we think're behind all this crap. If peeps work better alone, well, that ain't gonna happen, cuz we don't want no one gettin' snatched again. But pairs? Fine. Group o' three? Okay. Double date? Golden."
Dave frowned slightly and folded his arms in front of his chest. "That seems like a strange strategy to use, Sparkie. Isn't that just asking for Vanguard to come kidnap our people again, just in small groups this time?"
Sheena unclasped her hands and sat forward suddenly. "Naw, see, that's the thing! When yer dealin' with an army, ya just gotta keep hittin' 'em from all angles, at all times. Not hard hits, maybe, but ya can't let 'em find a single point ta concentrate fire. That just don't work. It just gets yer peeps shot up. Or worse."
Dave's frown deepened. "Army? You said you found something out. What is it?"
"We wouldn't a got nothin' if it weren't fer Lil bein' there. Turns out that commander I nabbed? She was an automaton."
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:30:05 GMT -5
Scarlet Scorpion
It had been a week since the explosion. She just discovered Vanguard had been infiltrated by at least one Nemesis automaton in a high ranking position. As the Field Commander of Dawn Patrol removed various bandages she could feel herself healing minor wounds as expected due to her meta-abilities. The new eye patch was fixed onto her face and she tousled her hair in the style that helped make her visage ‘be’ the Scarlet Scorpion.
But … it had still been a week since the blast … since she heard from her lover, Nathan Maddox.
Loni discovered the source of the explosion having come from the perfume bottle he gave her as a gift. She should have been more alert: he only ever visited the base once and that was when he dropped off the flowers that invited courtship. Then she made a rule that kept him from visiting. That was meant for his safety, so when he broke that promise … she should have been more alert.
But she had to confront him and she had to do it before her meeting with Lady Grey. For the past week she was either unconscious or dealing with activities in the base. She flexed her left ankle as she smelled the brisk clean air of Steel Canyon outside the British Embassy, then lifted off toward Faultline and to Nathan’s apartment.
--- She landed on the rooftop and entered the access door to the interior. Walking down a few flights of stairs her anger started to grow: he was not responding to her calls. If he intentionally planted the bomb then that made sense. If she were an assassin she would not stay in one place after committing the crime either. But the affection she had for him still shadowed her and the idea he was suddenly uncaring to her left her indignant.
Kathryn arrived at his door and quietly checked the handle. It was locked; expected.
She stepped back and kicked it open with the righteousness of a woman scorned. It swung open furiously and splinters flew everywhere. She quickly stepped in before the debris settled and started scanning for someone. As she entered the bedroom, she found him.
Lying on the bed with a bullet hole between his eyes laid her former lover. He was dressed in his best business suit and the covers were stained with blood, bone and brain under his head. Scarlet looked to the window and noticed a hole the typical size of a bullet in the middle of the pane.
Nathan was assassinated.
She caught herself feeling dispassionate at the scene as if it were something she was used to seeing. Activating her communicator, she sought the Paragon Police Department band and started formulating what she would say.
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:30:38 GMT -5
Battledog
The captured Arachnos flyer zipped 20 feet above the waters of Independence Port. Its midnight blue and white paintjob glistened in the early morning light. Battledog stood in one of the open loading doors watching the waters flow by. His team sat strapped in the flyer's troopseats.
"Lupe, keep this altitude until we hit Terra Volta's warwall." he spoke into the flyer's comm channel.
"Roger that, sir." Pilot Specialist Lupe Vargas replied as she grinned.
It had been along time since she was able to do a low altitude combat mission. How she had missed the pure exhiliration, the adrenalin rush that came with it.
"When we deploy, stay on station for 10 minutes, that is one-zero minutes, and land in LZ Bravo for extraction."
"Will do, sir."
"Keep an eye out for Sky Raiders, Lupe. They seem to think they own the sky in Terra Volta."
"We didn't remove all the weapons on this crate. Just don't be late, Dave, or you get to walk home."
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:31:19 GMT -5
Quasi
Quasi sat uncomfortably in the seat of the Dawn Patrol flyer. It definitely was not designed for beings with tails. She put her discomfort aside when she remembered that she at least didn't have wings like Terra. She looked over to Dave who was standing in the open door and let out a deep breathe. She was nervous. Dave had but alot of faith in the abilities of the beings in the transport and Quasi didn't want to let him down. The flyer continued its journey as she was lost in her thoughts. Jayson had saved her life the night he was taken. He saved all their lives that night. He sacrificed himself so that they could escape. Quasi knew she would do the same if necessary to save him.
"60 seconds, people!. Let's get hot!" Dave yelled into the troop bay as he put his mask into place.
As Quasi and the others unbuckled themselves from their seats, he waved her and Terra over to the door.
"Ready, kiddo?" he asked.
Quasi nodded quietly as she set her face with a grim look.
"Good. Just do it like I told you and you will do fine."
Quasi could almost see the gentle smile of his through his mask as the flyer swooped over the Terra Nova warwall.
"10 seconds! Quasi...Terra ...GO!"
With a loud 'Let's f**k sh*t up!', Terra jumped out of the flyer and stretched her wings. Quasi followed her a lot more quietly and with a look of pure concentration. She accelerated from the flyer and angled towards a specific warehouse roof. The coordinates and a mental picture were placed in her mind by Lily during the trip. She focused deeply, gathering all the energy she could as she flew. As she neared the roof, she released all the energy she had at the centre of it.
The blast impacted, melting any structures mounted to it in a microsecond. The energy continued its way into the structure itself, weakening it, while it disrupted any electronics in its radius. Quasi watched as Terra zipped past her, somersaulted, and landed in the epicentre of the blast with a loud 'boom' as she hit it with an overlarge stone mallet. The roof crumbled, forming a wide opening.
Quasi tried to smile as she felt her body go limp in the air.
She fell.
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Post by Lady Britannia on Apr 25, 2019 19:31:43 GMT -5
Drive Train
From her seat in the corner of the briefing room, Sheena observed the small crowd of Patrollers gathered. A few she knew by sight: She spotted the kid that had ran up to her when she first teeped back to the base after breaking out of the Vanguard compound, along with a few others she had briefly run missions with. Mostly, though, the faces gathered were unfamiliar to her. She could hear Vagabond's rough, slightly accented voice in her mind's ear: "Hogwash, kiddo, all of 'em. Maybe good to stop a bullet or two, but they ain't got the sense God gave a donkey." She shook her head to clear the memories.
Rising heavily from her seat, Sheena strode to the front of the room, and took her place behind the podium. "Alrighty, chompers, settle down! Time ta get this here party started." She waited for the assembled Patrollers to take their seats.
"Just about an hour ago, the bosslady... er, Commander Scarlet, Sergeant Lily n' me found out some reeeeeeal interestin' info about what's been goin' down recently. The reason I called all you chompies here is ta start takin' the fight ta the guys that've been messin' with us so bad recently."
Sheena stopped for a moment to gauge the Patrollers' reactions. None seemed surprised or out of sorts at all. Most were watching her attentively, some even taking notes. "Damn," she thought, "I feel like a freakin' teacher." Pulling herself back to the matter at hand, she continued: "So. How many o' you chomperuskies fought the Nemesis Army before?"
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